USA Chip Davis of the Association for Accessible Medicines argues that learning from the European biosimilars approval experience could speed up patient access to these complex drugs in the USA.   Advancements in biologic research and development have brought forth life-saving treatments for patients with cancer as well as such chronic…

Opinion David H. Crean, managing director for Objective Capital Partners, highlights the latest trends in the cell and gene therapy market for investments and deal activities.   Background Cell and gene therapies hold the promise of bringing significant clinical benefits to patients by directly targeting the underlying cause of disease. With tremendous…

USA US industry veteran Sharon Ayd describes her journey to becoming a pharma company board member, the various hurdles still facing female pharma executives, and the responsibility of women at the top to “pay it back” and help the next generation of female leaders.   As I climbed the corporate ladder,…

Opinion Greg Reh comments on the panel discussion from the Financial Times US Pharma and Biotech Summit about the changes needed to face coming innovations in manufacturing, pricing, and reimbursement of personalized therapies. These innovations include direct-to-payer models, mass customization, and valuation of gene therapies and one-time treatments, all of which…

USA Meghann Chilcott offers an introductory look at the potential of customer data platforms (CDPs) to transform the way pharmacy marketers reach out to an increasingly online customer base in the USA.   CDPs enable marketers to pool customer information together from various sources for the purpose of creating seamless, data-rich…

USA Carla Smith outlines the role that a value-based care (VBC) approach can have on both reducing healthcare costs and improving overall care delivery to patients in the USA. Smith highlights VBC’s benefits to patients, payers and pharma companies, but notes that physicians are still not necessarily convinced; meaning the adoption…

Opinion Aditya Bhattacharji takes a look at the potentially damaging impact of political uncertainty across Europe – including the impending exit of the UK from the European Union – on pharmaceutical firms across the continent.   The right-leaning parties that will play a more prominent role in European politics are even…

Opinion David H. Crean highlights R&D efforts and ongoing investments in Alzheimer’s disease treatments as we enter the month of June, brain awareness month.   Alzheimer’s disease is a complex chronic disease characterized biologically by the accumulation of extracellular protein plaques, neurofibrillary protein tangles, a loss of functional synaptic connections, and eventually…

USA David Bearman makes the historical case to be once again considered as a medicine across the USA, noting that economic – rather than health – concerns were behind the creation of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 and continue to persist to this day.   With all this history, why…

Algeria Yacine Sellam, president of the Algerian Society for Regulatory Affairs & Pharmacoeconomics, examines Algeria’s recent issues around medicine shortages, its root causes, and the measure being taken to counter it.   The smooth operation of the drug distribution chain in Algeria is compromised by its multiplicity of actors – from…

China Better known for its panda sanctuary and spicy local cuisine, Chengdu could be the first Chinese city to offer mutual health insurance. Eric Bouteiller examines French firm VYV’s first steps into China and the potential impact of mutual insurance – whereby the insurance company is owned entirely by its policyholders…

Opinion Brendan Shaw* outlines the benefits that greater adoption of outcome-based payment models for medicines can bring, highlights recent successful implementations, and explains why policy updates are so important to ensuring a more comprehensive rollout of these models around the globe.   We’re looking forward to being one customer of many…